By Lewis Loflin
This page pulls lay readers into the tangled roots of Christianity, a web spun from Gnosticism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Hellenism, with a Deist sidelong glance at environmentalism’s wild overreach. I lean on believers’ own words—myself a Deist, not an atheist or humanist cheerleader—judging it all by evidence and actions, not dogma’s warm glow. I’m no fanboy for any creed. To me, Christianity looks like a Hellenistic philosophy, draped in claims of Holy Spirit clout you won’t find in Old Testament Judaism. Pantheism—God mashed into Nature—winds through it, whispering echoes of New Age vibes, Pagan roots, and environmentalism’s greener-than-thou drift—check out Gospel Roots Christian Pantheism for the thread. James Lovelock, the Gaia Hypothesis guy, worries his brainchild—and environmentalism at large—has twisted into a religion blind to facts, sidelining science when mysticism and politics elbow past the Scientific Method. Jesus, I see as a man—revered, sure, but human. Paul’s the real architect here, not Jesus—he broke from James’ Jewish crew over circumcision around 49 CE in Galatians, ditching Judaism for good. His Hellenistic and Gnostic streaks shine through, clear as day. Those epistles of his, scratched out in the 50s CE, hit before the Gospels—70s CE and later—written by his posse, Mark and Luke, who, like Paul, never laid eyes on Jesus. Call it Paulism, not Christianity. His sour grapes at failing to win over Jews birthed that smear about them killing their prophets—pure libel, no footing in truth. I don’t swallow ghost talks or divine whispers without proof—reason cuts through the haze.
John Nelson Darby
Christian Premillennialism
Alexander’s conquests spread Greek culture across Persia, sparking fusion and friction—nowhere more than among Jews. Judah’s civil wars (*Maccabees 1 & 2*) pitted Hellenist Jews against Orthodox, beyond mere Syrian rule. Alexandria’s Jews, like Philo, blended Greek ideas into a universal, spiritual Judaism—some call Philo the first Christian. From this brew came Christianity and its Gnostic kin, split by “faith” (Paul) vs. “knowledge” (Gnosis)—terms Paul muddled.
Zoroastrianism, Persia’s monotheistic faith, shaped Judaism under Cyrus (*Ezra*, *Nehemiah*), influencing Christianity too (*Jewish Encyclopedia*). Jews faced Hellenism’s pull—some embraced it, others fought it.
St. Augustine’s *Confessions* repelled me—self-loathing, grace, and election turned humanity into pawns of God’s whim. He’s Protestantism’s root, not its fruit.
From a deist lens, I critique Islam’s claims—its history, texts, and impact—against reason and evidence, contrasting it with Christianity’s roots and Judaism’s evolution.
Excerpts from Will Durant’s The Age of Faith (1950, pp. 162-186)
Environmentalism’s pantheistic streak mirrors Christianity’s roots, but I see it veering into mysticism over evidence. From a deist perch, I unpack science, climate history, and green dogma’s overreach—reason trumps alarmism every time.
Deist Critique of Environmentalism
Climate History and Evidence
Science vs. Eco-Mysticism
